Ye Nuan knew that Su felt sorry for her and was afraid that she would be in danger, but she had to go.

"Mom, you're not in good health and can't even walk to the back mountain. Tomorrow I'll take my brother there, and you stay home." Xiaohu was still young; if he were just an ordinary child, she wouldn't have taken him. But Xiaohu, thanks to the spiritual spring, had incredible strength. Sooner or later, he would have to adapt to the wilderness, so it was better to take him out from a young age.

"I promise, as long as I'm alive, I will bring A-di back safely."

Su wanted to say something, but Ye Nuan said bluntly: "Mom, this is a wasteland. You can't protect us forever. Believe me!" Her eyes were black, firm and penetrating, silently persuading Su.

Su forced a smile on her lips and sighed with relief and helplessness.

After cleaning the borrowed millstone, Ye Nuan poured the bitter castanopsis berries into the hole. Ye Xiaohu couldn't wait to spin the millstone in circles. The heavy millstone felt light and fluttery in his hands like a toy, and the fine bitter castanopsis pulp rolled out of the grooves of the millstone into the large wooden basin that had been prepared long ago. After all the bitter castanopsis berries were ground into pulp, the little boy was still not satisfied and tugged at the millstone, refusing to let go. Ye Nuan coaxed, "Sister is going to make bitter tofu. Xiaohu, do you want to watch?"

Ye Xiaohu immediately put down the millstone and walked towards the kitchen with Ye Nuan on his short legs.

Ye Nuan filtered the Castanopsis slurry twice before adding it to the boiling water and stirring it back and forth. The delicate slurry quickly solidified into a thick, light brown, glossy paste under the influence of the temperature. Castanopsis slurry is high in starch and easily clumps at the bottom without stirring. She lifted the spoon and when the thick paste clings to the bottom, she immediately asked Su to remove the heat.

Relying on the residual heat of the fire, the paste kept bubbling in the pot. After boiling for a few minutes, it was quickly taken out and placed in a basin that had been prepared long ago.

Ye Xiaohu squatted beside the basin, drooling, his little paws clasped together, and asked with puffed cheeks: "Sister, can I eat it now?"

Ye Nuan chuckled: "No, you have to wait an hour for it to become tofu before you can eat it."

Su wiped herself clean and came over to look at the brown mass in the wooden basin. She muttered, "This thing is quite troublesome. Is it really tofu?" The color looked a little strange.

“It’s really tofu, and it’s delicious.”

Ye Nuan and Su continued to dig the remaining land. Ye Xiaohu would run to the kitchen from time to time and squat beside the tofu, looking left and right, but always remembering his sister's words not to poke.

Every once in a while, he would run to Ye Nuan and ask: Sister, can I eat the tofu?

When the sun reached its zenith, Ye Nuan wiped her hands and replied, "The tofu should be ready. I'll go cut a piece and cook it for you."

Ye Xiaohu cheered, his eyes curved with smiles, and ran happily after her.

Ye Nuan picked up the wooden basin and touched the tofu inside with her hand.

Castanopsis tofu is as smooth as jelly, chewy and tender, with a halo on the surface, which looks really good.

She cut a piece and put it in the bowl. Su came in from behind and said in surprise, "This is bitter tofu. It looks a little transparent."

When Ye Nuan cooked the bitter tofu and brought it to the two of them, a natural fruity aroma emanated from it. They took a bite and found it smooth and chewy.

Su praised: "This bitter tofu tastes better than tofu. The name is wrong. It should be called fragrant tofu."

"Yes, it smells good!" The little kid next to him was almost eating it with a spoon.

Ye Nuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "It's a pity there is no salt. I'll exchange the stones I pick up for salt and oil tomorrow." If there were extra, she would exchange them for some seeds.

Su nodded: "It would taste better if there was salt, green onion and garlic cloves." It tasted better than any big fish or meat I had eaten before.

Ye Nuan cut off a large piece and put it into a broken bowl. "Mom, please send some to the next door later. I will send this to Miss Qiu."

Seeing that her mother agreed, Ye Nuan took the bowl and walked towards the village chief's house.

When I went there, Aqiu was not at home, but her mother, Mrs. Tao, was there. Mrs. Tao heard someone calling out at the door and was wondering why the big yellow dog at home was not barking, when she saw Ye Nuan standing at the gate with a bowl of brown stuff in her hand.

Ye Nuan had her face covered with a headscarf, her eyes slightly curved with a smile: "Auntie Tao, this is bitter tofu. I promised Miss Aqiu yesterday that I would give it to her." Mrs. Tao was very picky and looked down on the broken bowl, let alone the bitter tofu she made, but when she heard that her daughter wanted it, she reluctantly accepted it.

She had no intention of talking to Ye Nuan and walked inside with the bowl in her hand.

Ye Nuan reminded her, "Auntie Tao, this bitter tofu is very tender. Add some snow vegetables and green onions and stir-fry it. Eating it regularly can make your skin smoother."

"I know, I know." Tao was very impatient.

Ye Nuan didn't care either, her eyes lingering on the bunches of corn and garlic in the corridor.

Tao hadn't originally planned to make bitter tofu, but when she was about to cook, she realized she didn't have enough vegetables, so she made the bitter tofu as well. When it was served, the village chief took a bite, exclaimed, and couldn't help but take a few more bites.

"I've never eaten this before, it's delicious! Damn it, I'll make it tomorrow."

After hearing what her husband said, Mrs. Tao also reached out her chopsticks to pick up some tofu. The tofu trembled on the chopsticks but did not break. It was tender and elastic when she bit it, and it was sweet with a natural fragrance. It was indeed delicious.

Jinqiu and Jinbao glanced at each other and simultaneously reached for their chopsticks. Like siblings, they wrestled back and forth, the tofu remaining intact despite being pressed from both sides. Village Chief Jin slapped Jinbao on the back of the head and angrily declared, "You bastard! You're even trying to snatch food from your sister! What a loser!" Jinqiu was born late, a late-born child, and Village Chief Jin was quite biased.

Jinbao withdrew his hand awkwardly and looked at his mother with grievance.

Jinqiu looked at her brother proudly while holding a piece of bitter tofu, then took a bite. The juice splashed in her mouth. She smiled with her eyes curved and praised: "Mom, it's delicious! What kind of dish is this?" The taste is so unique.

Tao casually said, "It's the bitter tofu brought by the Ye family in the west of the village."

Jin Qiu: “…” The slap in the face came unexpectedly. She had just sworn not to eat it yesterday.

A mouthful of tofu got stuck in my throat. I couldn't swallow it, but I couldn't bear to spit it out either.

"The Ye family?" Village chief Jin frowned. He heard yesterday that the Ye family didn't go to fetch water. Now they can find food by themselves, and they don't plan to go to pick up stones?

Then I thought, it’s not autumn yet, and when winter comes, everything will naturally behave itself.

The village chief and his family went to bed soon after dinner. The next day, Mrs. Tao got up early to wash clothes by the pond. When the women in the village saw her, they complimented her, saying, "Why do you look so good today?"

Tao touched her face and found it had indeed become smoother. When she finished washing her clothes and returned home, Village Chief Jin was smoking a pipe at the door. Seeing her coming, he frowned and said, "Have you changed your makeup? You look better than yesterday."

Tao was praised all the time in the morning and felt very happy. Thinking of Ye Nuan's words yesterday, she thought: Could it be that bitter tofu can really make the skin delicate?

She quickly put down her clothes and ran to the inner room to wake up Jinqiu, who was still lying in bed. Jinqiu was still half asleep, and she sat up shakily, closing her eyes and said unhappily, "Mom, can't you let me sleep a little longer?"

"Why are you sleeping? San Ya got up early and took home a bucket of laundry. You're still lying in bed. Get up quickly and go to Ye's house in the west of the village to see if the bitter tofu from yesterday is still there. If so, ask for some more." Mrs. Tao shook her hard twice.

When Jin Qiu heard about the Ye family, she came to her senses instantly and pouted, "I won't go." She got slapped in the face yesterday, and today she ran to beg for tofu with her eyes wide open, acting as if she really wanted to eat it. She is so shameless.

Mrs. Tao smiled and said, "Look, what's different about mother this morning?"

Jin Qiu looked back and forth at her mother while putting on her clothes, and finally said in surprise: "Mom, your face seems to be much cleaner and your complexion is better. Has the Creation Pavilion received new cosmetics?" Their family was the only one in the whole village who could afford that expensive and rare stuff.

Tao shook his head: "Bitter tofu."

Jin Qiu rolled his eyes and took out a small bronze mirror from under his pillow to look at his face. It seemed that there was no difference.

Mrs. Tao snatched the bronze mirror from her hand and said unhappily, "How much did you eat yesterday? The fishbone stuck in your throat must have eaten more than you did. Anyway, you should go to the Ye family and take a look. It would be best if you could find out how they cook it."

Jinqiu was at a loss because of her mother's harassment, but she was too embarrassed to go begging empty-handed, so she simply grabbed a bunch of garlic and corn from the corridor and left.

After walking a few steps, Jinbao followed her with a lick on his face.

When Ye Nuan returned with the empty bowl, she saw her younger brother squatting by the vegetable patch and muttering to the leeks. She closed the door and laughed. This little guy was so cute, he was actually chatting with the leeks.

"Mom, has the bitter tofu been brought to the next room?"

Su was boiling water and replied, "Yes, Dazhu's mother kept praising you for your ability."

"Is his mother able to get out of bed?"

"I'm still sick. I'm afraid it will be hard to endure without seeing a doctor." Life in the wilderness is long. Lack of food and clothing will be commonplace. With such poor health, I'll definitely be ruined if I continue like this. Su thought of herself again. She had always been in poor health, but somehow, since coming to the wilderness, she's been getting better day by day.

As long as the work is not too strenuous, she can help.

Breakfast was still bitter tofu, but Xiaohu had added an egg. After cleaning up the house, Ye Nuan was about to hoe the ground when she heard Jin Qiu calling her from the doorway. Her voice was small and awkward, and behind her stood a rather plump young man.

Ye Xiaohu ran to open the door. Seeing that she was still feeling awkward, Ye Nuan simply asked, "Miss Qiu, what's the matter?"

Jin Qiu hesitated twice, and Jin Bao behind her simply spoke in front of her sister: "My mother asked me to ask you, is the bitter tofu we brought yesterday still available?" He looked Ye Nuan up and down, his eyes were presumptuous and direct, making people feel very uncomfortable.

Ye Nuan didn't say anything. Jin Bao snatched the garlic and corn from Jin Qiu's hand and said, "We don't want them for free. How about this in exchange?"

Ye Nuan's eyes lit up, "Okay, Mom, go in and cut out two pieces of bitter tofu." Those were garlic and corn, they would grow as long as they were planted, so this was a good deal.

Su cut two pieces of bitter tofu and brought them out. Ye Nuan took them and handed them to Jin Qiu. Jin Bao tried to take them, but she dodged. She smiled with a squinting look, "Miss Qiu, you helped us. I shouldn't accept your gifts, but you're not one to take advantage, so I'll take them. It would be even better if you could exchange them for some salt next time."

Jinqiu Paifu: You talk nicely, but you still want salt. How shameless.

Jinbao stared at her dark eyes, feeling uneasy.

Jin Qiu got angry when she saw her eldest brother's expression. She stomped her foot and turned to leave. Jin Bao waved to Ye Nuan and quickly followed him. As he chased after her, he asked curiously, "Sister, what do you think this girl from the Ye family looks like?"

Jin Qiu rolled her eyes at him and asked, "San Ya'er asks you this every day, why are you hiding from her?"

Jin Bao didn't answer, and when Jin Qiu wanted to ask more, he ran away.

Tao ate bitter tofu for two days straight, and her complexion became increasingly beautiful. When she went to the pond to wash clothes, the village women finally couldn't resist their curiosity and asked a few more questions. Tao was a little flattered by the praise and casually told her about the bitter tofu, but after she finished speaking, she felt a little regretful.

What if these people also go to the Ye family to exchange for bitter tofu?

In fact, there is no woman who doesn't love beauty. Tao said it casually, but those women remembered it. The first thing they did when they returned was to find something to exchange for bitter tofu at the Ye family.

Ye Nuan originally planned to take her mother to the pond to wash clothes. When she went out, she saw a group of people rushing towards her house. She was so scared that she turned around and ran. Before she could take two steps, she was surrounded and pulled by a group of rural women and girls.

"Ye's, do you have any bitter tofu left? Give me some too."

"I want some too. I'll trade it for the onion."

"My white radish is good, give me some in exchange."

Someone also held up a dried pheasant and stuffed it into her hands. Ye Nuan's hands were covered in grease and she explained, "Bitter tofu is worthless. Your chicken..."

The woman with the pockmarked face said impatiently: "Just change it for me!"

Ye Nuan was really confused. Is bitter tofu really that delicious?